Abe shunning Sep 3 visit comes as no surprise to China

By Su Tan Source:Global Times Published: 2015-8-25 0:53:01

The long-term speculation over whether Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would come to Beijing on September 3 to participate in a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the end of WWII has been laid to rest. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday that Abe will not visit China for the ceremony nor does he plan to make a trip around that time, citing the situation "in the Diet."

Abe is under pressure as he attempts to push the controversial security bills that have aroused nationwide protest through the parliament. But as the Kyodo News Agency reported, citing Japanese government sources, Abe finally decided not to visit China around September 3 because it cannot be guaranteed the event will not be anti-Japanese and Japan does not want the world to think it agrees with China's activities in regional waters.

This is the first time that China is holding a grand event to commemorate the end of WWII. It is primarily to demonstrate China's huge contribution to victory in the war 70 years ago, and to showcase China's determination in upholding the post-war international order.

China has invited many foreign leaders to attend the commemorative events on this special anniversary, although the event is also meant to boost Chinese social unity and morale. In this sense, whether Abe attends or not will unlikely affect the significance of these events and does not deserve any special attention.

But it seems it is Japanese media that holds the most contradictory attitude toward this grand event. The Japanese media has made varied predictions on whether Abe will visit China around September 3, sparking much discussion, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made clear earlier this month that he had no knowledge of the visit. Earlier this month, Japanese media said that Washington had even pressured Seoul to prevent South Korean President Park Geun-hye from attending the activities, making it unduly complicated.

Naturally, the Chinese public would like to see as many foreign leaders as possible attend the events, though it is also not a big deal if they fail to show up. The presence of Japanese leaders can somewhat demonstrate their reflection on Japan's wartime history.

While Abe has been seeking to hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the strained bilateral relations, his declining to visit at that time will only cost him a chance to meet with Chinese leaders as well as other world leaders. This is not a pity for China.



Posted in: Observer

blog comments powered by Disqus